Global Studies II

Unit II Russia

Name ______________________________
Date ____________

Totalitarianism under Stalin

1. Define the term totalitarianism Is a concept used by some political scientists the state holds total
authority over the society.

2. While reading the excerpt, create a list of methods of control used by Soviet leaders and examples

Methods
1.
2.
3.
4.

Police terror
Indoctrination
Propaganda and censorship
Religious or ethnic persecution

Examples
1. Police use terror and violence to enforce
laws. Sometimes they use brutal force or
even murder.
2. The leader controls education to change
peoples beliefs. They teach bias
information in school starting at a young
age so as they grow up they believe it.
3. The government spreads propaganda to
make citizens believe certain things.
Control of mass media allows this. The
government tells citizens false
information that they believe is true.
Leaders create enemies of the state. The
government blames the wrong things on these
people. Often these people are members of
religious or ethnic groups.

Of all the methods of control, which allows the MOST long-term control?
Indoctrination this will last to longest because it makes people believe certain things. They
will believe it their whole life because there is no other beliefs.
3. Stalins methods of control.
a. What was the Great Purge? How would Stalins use of this action increase his power?
A campaign of terror directed at eliminating anyone who threatened his power. This would increase his
power because thousands of Boshleviks helped, and he would gain total control of over the Soviet
government and communist party.

b. What was Pravda? How did Stalin explain the purpose of art in the USSR?

A news paper that explained the purpose of art: Literature, the cinema, the arts levers in the hands of the
proletariat which must be used to show the masses positive models of initiative and heroic labor. Stalin
explain the purpose of art in the USSR by stating that he would not tolerate individual creativity that did
not conform to the views of the state.

c. What is an atheism? How did Stalin use atheism to influence his control over his citizens?
Atheism is the disbelief in the existence of God or Gods. Stalin displays Museums of Atheism to urge
religious people that their beliefs are mere superstitions.

4. Stalins control over the economy.

a. What is a command economy? An economy in which production, investment, prices, and incomes
are determined centrally by the government.
b. Stalins Five Year Plans
1. Purpose The purpose of these plans were to fuel the growth of the Soviet Unions
economy.

2. Results? The plans set impossibly high quotas, to increase the production of oil, steel, and
coal. These goals lead Stalin put a halt on consumer goods. People faced shortages in food, housing, and
clothing. Although the first plans fell short of success, the Soviet Union made substantial economic results.

c. What methods did Stalin use to bring agriculture under state control?
Stalin started seizing privately owned farms and combining them into large government
controlled farms. They thought modern machinery would boost the production so they started to eliminate
workers which broke out into protests.

d. Kulaks - Who were they?

A group of peasant farmers who owned their own land.

1. How did they create a problem for Stalin?

They wouldnt give over their land to Stalin and caused a lot of drama during the process.

2. How did he solve the problem?

Stalin sent the Kulaks to Serbia and dumped them in the middle of nowhere with no supplies to live
so they basically suffered and died.